Do you want to improve your child’s emotional development? Take a book and start reading!!

Do you want to improve your child’s emotional development? Take a book and start reading!!

Last years researches in daily time spent in watching television in Spain showed that Andalusia is at the first place with a 239 minutes which is something like 4 hours per day.

Mums and dads themselves are spending four times as long on screens as they are reading to their young children.

As a result, suddently, children are losing out on the bond created between a parent and child during story-time.

Hours spent alone in front of the screen means that the children are spending less time with other kids and not learning how to share or to communicate effectively with their peers.

The English Psychologist Dr Amanda Gummer, which is the founder of Fundamentally Children (the UK’s leading source of expert, independent advice on child development and play) and has over 20 years’ experience working with children and families, says: “There’s a growing concern that the increase in remote communication hinders children’s emotional development and children today can find it more difficult to understand and manage their emotions.

Gummer says the main area of concern is with very young children — if they develop a screen-based play pattern before they start school they’re likely to be less able to share and make the most of the learning available in a social classroom setting.

She says the ‘Me, Now’ generation is used to having instant gratification because their needs are often met almost instantaneously through tech play. This can have a negative impact on coping mechanisms.

In addition, children who are told to stop crying or to behave are less likely to develop emotional intelligence than those encouraged to explore their own emotions.

In conclusion, to help your child to make the most of his beginning of life, be authentic, don’t hide your feelings. Talk to your children about how you manage your own difficult emotions.

Validate their emotions, for exemple saying: “I can see you’re cross... but you can’t have another treat. What can we do to help you feel better?”

Read books with your child that include emotional storylines and discuss them and encourage your child to play freely with other children, they gain a lot from mixing with a wide range of people.